Hlabisa urges immediate action for flood victims in Kwa-Zulu Natal

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has pleaded with land owners, particularly in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), to release it to temporarily accommodate people badly affected by the recent floods in the area.

Speaking on the sidelines of Cabinet oversight led by President Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg, Hlabisa stressed people who lived in flood-stricken areas were at high risk of being washed away by floods and needed to be relocated. 

“People living in prone places need to be reallocated soon before they are washed away as we go forward. We are living in a time of bad weather and climate change, so we need to help them,” he said.

Hlabisa said people were living in fear, especially when it was raining.

“Whenever it’s raining, we start panicking especially at night about those people living in flood areas if it is heavily raining,” he said.

Over the past month, devastating floods across KZN have claimed the lives of more than 20 individuals and left over 200 others displaced.

In the Lamontville area of the eThekwini municipality, approximately 40 families—comprising nearly 230 people—have reportedly been relocated to a hotel after their homes were severely damaged or destroyed.

The government has joined efforts to help recover their lost things. 

He stated that they were in talks with people with land to offer it. “We need to reallocate the resources from Human Settlements, shelters that give dignity to our people,” he said.

The minister said they need infrastructure that is resilient enough to cope with natural disasters.

“The municipalities must go for insurance of infrastructure. When a bridge has been rebuilt, insurance must be persuaded because once the project is complete, then it’s washed away,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa also stressed the issue of infrastructure and ensuring that people were safe all the time.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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